Beyond the Surface
by Loopy542
Summary: A Toontown story without cogs? Yes. They would just cause more complication into a story that's already hard to write. Instead, have a look at how two toons overcome the fears of what they think about the other. Some mild language involved. Experimenting with a parallel plots story! Feedback is appreciated!
1. Chapter 1A

I quite enjoy nighttime. To me, the darkness is calming. The day is over, and I made it through. The last rays of sunshine fall below the ground, hiding away until tomorrow, and with it goes all of the bad experiences from the day. With the darkness comes the ability to prepare for the next day. Within hours, a new day will begin, signaled by the sun showing its beautiful face to the world. All events of the last day mean nothing in comparison to the events to come.

In order to keep my sanity, I've made myself think this about the sunrise and the sunset. I'm still not fully convinced. The day with new opportunities has supposedly been on its way for about three years and there's still no sign that it's on its way. That day could be in a few weeks, it could be three more years down the line, or it could never come at all. So far, though, it's been the same routine every day with no significant changes. I don't know how to feel about that.

While I can find comfort in the darkness of the night, I also find many unanswered questions. These can range anywhere from "How late is it?" to "Do I even want to get up tomorrow?" Of course, tonight is much of the same. Since tomorrow is the first day back to school for the semester, I was also thinking about other school-related topics. "Who would my teachers be? What classes am I going to have? Who's going to be in my classes? Is anyone going to try to hurt me?"

School in general has always been somewhat uncomfortable for me. As much as I love learning new material whenever it comes up, I never really cared for the structure that school creates. In a classroom setting, I can't learn as well because I'm always thinking about some standard I have to conform to. My feelings of dread about the learning environment are amplified when everyone in the room hates my guts, which has been the case for every single class I've been in for the last three years. If I'm honestly stuck on a concept, I can only really ask the teacher after class is over. I can't rely on my peers to help, and the teachers aren't usually willing to help out other students until the lecture is over, which lasts from bell to bell. Even if other toons didn't absolutely despise me, I probably still wouldn't go to them for help because I can't trust very many of them myself. Is it normal? Maybe a little. Is it healthy? Absolutely not.

I head over to my writing desk, which is just a normal wooden desk you would expect to see in a lot of homes. The top drawer in the front is where I keep a few notebooks, a lot of pencils, two erasers, a sharpener, and assorted pens in black, red, and blue ink. I open this drawer and pull out the green notebook, which I tend to use as a thought dump. Since I can't really talk to anybody about my feelings, I prefer to write them down rather than bottle it up. I sit down in the wooden chair, which is already pulled away from the desk for me. I sharpen one of the many pencils I have rolling around inside the desk, open to a clean sheet in the back of the notebook, and begin writing.

 _I go back to hell tomorrow. There's no doubt that they still believe her lies after three years. And why wouldn't they? Everyone knows her and loves her. Nobody ever really knew me. Of course they would take her word over mine. If anyone doubted her, they would have at least made an effort to talk to me by now. Will anyone ever doubt her? I doubt it. She knew what she was doing._

I put the pencil down and close the notebook, putting it back into the top compartment. Upon turning off all of the lights, I walk over to my bed and get comfortable. The time is 01:28AM. It's far too early to be trying to stay up, so I make sure my alarms are set and doze off.

…

The alarm did its job, as I open my eyes and see "06:02AM" on the clock. I'm awake with not a lot of time to spare, but I still don't want to get up. If I shut off the alarms, I'll be here a while. The bed is better than any classroom desk or chair, though. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I'd certainly feel less lonely because I won't be expected to talk to anyone, but it's the first day of the new semester. I can't really afford to skip now. Reluctantly, I shut off the alarm, sit up, stretch, and get out from under the covers.

After getting done with the absolute essentials, I locate my bookbag. It's what you'd expect from a typical high school student: a bag that's able to hold the necessary supplies, but not necessarily attractive. It's a light blue bag with some yellow surrounding the zippers. There's nothing in the bag currently, but after today, it will likely have two or three textbooks, four folders, and two reams of paper. Luckily, no homework, since it will be the first day.

I go ahead and pick the bag up and put it on my back. I grab the red notebook from my desk along with another pencil that's already been sharpened. It's already almost 06:30, so I don't waste any more time. I head for the front door and walk outside.

Although it's early January, it actually feels quite nice outside. It's not too cold, thankfully, and I'm just in time to catch the first rays of sunshine strike the ground beneath my feet. As I walk down the steps to the stone walkway, a slight breeze blows in my face. I take in the delightful weather as I walk to the end of the walkway, where I wait for my bus yet again.

Before long, I see the familiar yellow vehicle making its way toward me. It makes its normal turn into the street before my stop, where it picks up all of the toons from the apartments. Unfortunately for me, this means that I can no longer focus on any sort of writing, which requires all of my attention. Just another minor inconvenience that I have to put up with.

In just another minute or two, the bus turns back onto the main road and makes its way back to my house. As soon as it stops, the driver opens the door and allows me in, although those inside wish he wouldn't. _Come on, Loopy_ , I think to myself. _You'll be fine. It's only the first day._ I take my seat, not stopping to acknowledge the numerous glares from a significant portion of those currently seated. I don't know who half of them are, so why should I care?


	2. Chapter 1B

Moving sucks. Everything about the process is painful, annoying, and time consuming. The only reason I even moved in the first place is because I simply couldn't afford to stay in the place I rented. The landlord raised the rent again in November and there was no way I could pay it off.

During the break, I moved to these apartments where rent is actually fairly cheap, only about 350 jellybeans a month. A far cry better than the 800 that the previous landlord wanted from me. As much as I may have appreciated her for letting me stay, I think she ended up putting too much focus on trying to get more jellybeans out of me.

I still wish I had considered more options before deciding to pack up, though. This place may be easy to make payments for, but there are an awful lot of toons here that also go to the same school as me. Under normal circumstances, that might not be so bad, but with my situation, there isn't a place I could have ended up that could possibly be worse for me than here. Simply put, everyone hates me. Nobody wants me within ten feet of them, and even attempting to talk to anyone simply makes them scream and shout out of pure fear. It's something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

As if the message wasn't already clear, I was told to come back to the office as soon as I had gotten done setting boxes down in my new apartment. There were apparently several requests for me to sign a contract that bound me to refrain from having any contact with anyone who lives here. Basically a restraining order but without the chaos of the courts.

With that on top of all of the nonsense that I had to deal with over the break, there is not even an ounce of motivation in me to continue unpacking. The only things I even bothered to set up when I got here a few days ago were as follows: bed, desk, printer, clock, and computer. Everything else is still sitting in their boxes, waiting to be put into the light. They're likely all going to be waiting for quite some time, but this is fine. None of those items have particular importance to me.

At the moment, I'm laying down on my bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondering what tomorrow will bring. It's still the same school that I used to go to, so I won't have to worry about getting used to an entirely new facility. However, what I will have to worry about, almost certainly, is who my teachers are going to be, and how the workload is going to look. Knowing the general pattern, this semester is just going to stress me out more than the last semester, which already stressed me beyond all of the year before that. It's a vicious downhill spiral, and I'm just blindly falling down, the end nowhere to be seen.

There may be a lot of uncertainties about what goes on during the school day, but the biggest deal for me is actually quite a bit before I step foot in that door: the bus stop. So many people from my school are living here at the moment, and it's uncertain to what lengths they'll be willing to go to keep me as far away from them as possible.

The funny thing is that I have no wish to hurt any of them. They all think I'm out looking for blood, but the truth is that I even hate the thought of hurting others. Despite this, the lack of trust that they have for me also goes the other way. When I was new to even the school district, they quickly shut down any reason for me to trust them. Since then, no effort has been made, by any toon, to regain my trust. For this reason, I much prefer to be left alone.

Although that situation might be the biggest unknown for me, it's not my biggest worry. I have no idea who is going to be in my classes, and I definitely don't know everyone who is going to ride this new bus. There is a lingering thought in the back of my mind that someone that I absolutely despise could be scheduled to ride the same bus. If that ends up being the case, I don't know how I'm going to end up handling it.

Regardless, I try to sleep. Whatever I say or think about the hand life has dealt me, the situation still remains the same. They're all meaningless, and I'm just along for the ride at this point.

…

I open my eyes and I look over to my desk. The clock reads just a little after 4AM. It's far too early to be up. _Why are you like this?_ I thought to myself. It's very typical for me to wake up much earlier than I really should when I'm stressed, particularly about school. It happened more times last semester than I could keep track of, it was almost every other day. As is the norm when this happens, it's impossible for me to get back to sleep. I decide to force myself to sit up and find the light switch.

The bright yellow flash blinds my eyes for a second or two before they finally get adjusted. Then I am able to see the unpainted walls that are behind the bed and the desk, surrounding the window, and blocking most of the way to the living room. At this point, there is no going back; I must stay awake. I've still got a good two hours before I have to be leaving for the bus stop, so I wonder what I could do for that time to keep myself occupied. I figure I could at least start setting up some of the things that I still have packed away. As early as it might be, it might be a great time to at least set something up.

I stepped foot in the living room and remembered just how many boxes I had lying around. There's unopened cardboard boxes everywhere and every single one of them is filled to the very top with things that I decided to bring. Half of them probably don't serve me any purpose anymore, but regardless, they're here with me. "No, thank you," I said aloud to myself as I walked back into my room and lied down between the covers again, moving the blanket up to meet my chin. Perhaps trying to sleep for another hour or so wouldn't be so bad…

But the light is still shining in my face. I can't successfully try to sleep with the lights on, but I also really don't want to leave the bed. It's very warm and comfortable here, much more so than standing on the floor.

"I've got all this time and nothing to do with it," I murmured hopelessly. The bus won't get here for another two hours, which is going to feel like two days with how much I'm dreading its arrival. There's no chance anything can possibly go my way this year. I've grown to accept this fact as I went through high school. I've run out of any hope I could have ever had for anything working out to help my case because nothing ever changes. Everyone still hates me at the end of every day and nobody will ever dare try to see who I really am.

…

The next thing I know, I'm opening my eyes and looking at the clock. 6:20AM. I nearly overslept for the first day. I quickly got up and got changed before I went to my computer and pulled up a document that I print out every semester to give to my teachers. It's a list of requests and promises that I make to ensure to the teachers that I have no ill intentions. I print out four copies of the document and sign them at the bottom:

1\. I have no intent to hurt any student or faculty member at this school.

2\. I focus better and don't get angry as easily if I sit alone during class.

3\. If I do end up snapping at someone, then they instigated something with me and I got tired of putting up with it. I will make any effort possible to warn you if there is someone I am likely to snap at.

4\. I will prefer to not talk at all during class, even to answer or ask questions. This may change in the event that somehow, someone trusts me enough to talk to me and they earn my trust.

5\. I am very open to talk about anything at lunch or between classes if needed. I generally don't eat much.

6\. If you hear someone saying something bad about me, please hear my side of the story.

7\. I want this semester/year to be a good one, but I have not an ounce of confidence left in that wish. Please help me get that back if you can.

 _Dottie Dandyhoffer_

This probably won't make much of a difference in the long run, but maybe there's a chance that the teachers will be slightly more willing to listen to me if I give them that.

I end up locking the door behind me with just enough time to get down to the bus stop. I do have to admit that the weather isn't that bad today. There's a few clouds in the sky, but it feels quite warmer than it has been the last week or so. I didn't end up needing my jacket but I decide that I'll wear it anyway. It's still a bit chilly outside, so there's at least some point to it. After all, it's far from being summer weather.

I finally see the group of toons sitting at the corner of the curb. I slowly approach them, nervous to know what will happen, but a dog turns around to stop me. "Stand back!" he screams at me while I was still easily twenty feet away from the rest of the group. Because I have no wish to fight, I listen, and stop right where I am, which causes him to turn back around. The rest of the crowd kept talking to him for a bit, presumably thanking him as well.

Although being screamed at certainly doesn't go well with me, I certainly can't complain about being separated from everyone else. Nobody will bother me while I stand here; I get more time to myself.

As the school bus turns the corner to meet us, a light breeze blows against the left side of my face. I also take notice of the sun, which is barely visible through the branches of the leave-less trees in the distance. Sometimes I wish I could take the sun and drag it to the other side of the sky. It'd be nighttime. I wouldn't have to deal with school. I'd have all the time in the world to just be in my own world. I'd be… calm…

My thoughts were interrupted by the cacophony of the school bus brakes, letting me know that it was time for the day to begin. Unfortunately, I have no such power to control time, so I begrudgingly enter the school bus. Of course, I enter much later than everyone else because nobody wants me anywhere near them.

As I walk to the back of the bus, I notice that the rest of the toons completely left the back two rows of seats empty. It's hard to say if this is intentional, but regardless, I take the very back seat and sit down on the right side when facing the windshield. I soon lay down, knowing that I'll have to go through the entire trip alone. I'm honestly not even sure how long this ride is, but knowing my luck, it's probably damn near an hour.

The bus slowly backs up and makes its way out of the apartments. The day is finally beginning, and all I long for is the moment that I can return back home where I can be left alone in peace. "Well, here goes nothing," I say to myself so that only I can hear my voice.

I'm ready for nothing.


	3. Chapter 2A

I see a vaguely familiar face just before I sit down, but I dare not look back to check. If I'm able to recognize the face, it's not a good thing. I'd rather not force myself to worry about it; I don't need more of this to start the semester.

Soon after I sit down, the bus driver closes the door and drives off. Onto the next house it goes. I look out the window, which is opposite my house, and attempt to forget about everything.

Unfortunately, I forgot that it's winter, somehow. The trees are empty and lifeless. It's impossible to ignore everything when that's what nature gives me to start the day. Then again, I should expect it; it's January, after all. Add some fog and it would be just another day in paradise. That's probably for tomorrow, though.

I absolutely despite winter. It's easily the worst season. It may give me time off of school and everything, but I have nothing to do during that time. It's too cold to go outside and I don't have anybody to hang out with. Even if it was a day like today, where the sun is shining bright and it doesn't feel all that cold, I can't bring myself to stay outside. All the trees being dead and the other sights make me uneasy. I remember everything that I'd rather forget and have tried to forget for almost three years.

Maybe I should be at least grateful that the sun is out today at all. It's usually cloudy, cold, and miserable around this time of year. Those could be coming in a few hours, though. Nature is my best friend, but it's also extremely unreliable. Nothing all that new, though.

A few minutes after the bus starts moving, it stops at another house. It's at this moment that I remember just how long the ride to school is. Right now, it's around 6:50. I won't be setting foot on campus until closer to 7:30. Wonderful.

In a desperate attempt to give myself something to do and cure my boredom, I open the red notebook to an empty page and think. However, all of the apartment kids are far too loud. I would get an idea of something to write, and it would just as quickly get lost in the sea of noise surrounding me. There's not even that many of them; they're just loud.

For me, my sharp hearing is a curse. Moments like this are the reason why. I always end up listening in to these conversations when I'm trying to focus on something unrelated. Typically, they range from general talk about classes to pure gossip. Usually it's about other toons, but every now and then I'll hear my name mentioned followed or preceded by something to the effect of "at least you're not him!" That exact line, in itself, is another reason why I wish my ears weren't as good as they are. I have to deal with it, though.

The bus continues rolling down the road, letting more toons crowd the vehicle. For the most part, my gaze is kept on the environment around the bus, with occasional glances behind me when the bus is stopped. There doesn't appear to be anyone different on the bus; I didn't see any particularly unfamiliar faces. That's good in some ways and bad in others.

The scenery outside, however, has been changing since the bus has been moving along. Instead of empty trees, my eyes were greeted by an abundance of empty fields. A rare sight for January, the grass is quite green with no frost. The grass seems to stretch all the way out to the horizon, but there's not a house in sight on this side of the road. I'm surprised that nobody has tried to build a house here yet; this area would be a great spot for some peace and quiet. Granted, you would have to be okay with being pretty far away from everyone else and everything else, which I certainly am. Maybe that's why I'm crazy enough to think this would be a good spot to live.

I just can't help but be in awe by the entire landscape, though. The color is intensely vivid, there's a great view of a few mountains in the background, and there's so much open space to walk around and let your mind wander. It'd be a great spot to live, but it's sadly not possible right now.

I must have been lost in thought for a long time, because the next thing I know, the bus is pulling into the school parking lot. It's a stark contrast from the vast fields of emptiness to the large metal gate and brick walls of the school. In terms of high school campuses, the building is abnormally large; it almost looks like a college campus. Looking up at the top of all the bricks reveals three layers of windows. I will never understand why they made a high school this tall. The building is wide enough to support having enough classrooms with just two floors. I wasn't in charge of the construction, though. I probably wasn't even alive then.

Finally, the bus comes to a halt just in front of the gate that guards the campus. It now releases us from this holding cell only to transfer us to another one that's much, much bigger. Similar to how things have worked the last few school years, I am first to get off of the bus. By a lot.

I start walking down the steps and onto the concrete separating the school from the parking lot. Looking to my right, I can see a multitude of pairs of eyes staring me down, looking into my soul. It makes me shiver slightly. After all this time, I should be used to it, but I'm not. Not even close. I keep walking, though, through the steel arch and onto the dirt walkway.

The noise filling the space between the wings of the campus suddenly faded away upon my appearance, and then slowly picked up volume as I walked nearer to the end of the dirt. Although faint, I can hear taunts being thrown my way in the distance. I can also overhear some of the couples complaining about their parents and how miserable their break was without them. All of it is a mindless, thoughtless cacophony to me after a while, though. All the talk is the same. Other than some toons now cured from their ailments, everyone is in the same place, as well.

 _This is basically your last real chance,_ the voice in my head calls to me. Just before I walk up the four steps to the main entrance, it continues. _It may not be your last year here, but after this semester, nobody will want to believe you. If nobody trusts you before then, your chances of redemption are practically zero._

It's right. I know it's right. It makes perfect sense. I don't want to believe it. There has to be a way. Someone will hear me. Right? The chances are so low even now, but with each day that passes, the chances only get lower. It'll never hit absolute zero, though, will it? Surely there's someone here… There has to be…

I take a deep breath and open the door. The building greets me with a blast of warmer air, which almost makes me forget that I'm going to be prisoner here for the next six or seven hours. The door closes behind me as I look up at the moving hands on the ceiling. 7:34. About half an hour until the first class of the day. I don't really feel like eating breakfast, so I decide to head to the stage. There's not usually too many toons there; I'd bother the least people this way.

I take a left just before the front office to get to the dimly-lit room. There are lights on, but most of the light is coming from the phones of other toons. In fact, most of the toons in here are on their phones. There's very few toons talking to each other, which is surprising. Usually most toons are talking to each other, even if that would include their phones. In a way, it's sad, but I suppose it's to be expected with this particular demographic. Although, if my phone was like most toons', I'd probably be doing the same thing.

Unlike most toons around this area, I can't actually afford any nice, fancy smartphones. I have the kind of phone that a lot of kids might scoff at me for having: one of those that a lot of parents might give their kids for a present at thirteen if they've never had a phone before. I've got the phone that opens to reveal the screen and has an overly noisy and inconvenient keyboard. It's almost not worth bringing because of it's impracticality.

Regardless, I sit where I don't think anyone would see me, the very back row. I open my notebook and try to write again. The darkness is not a friend to my mind. No ideas are in my mind anymore like they were on the bus. My eyes are wandering away more than my mind, which sometimes helps me, but not this time. I'm seeing the videos other toons are watching and the apps they're opening. However, they offer no creative inspiration.

I try to get my mind back on the empty fields and the possibility of living on those fields. My mind is too much accustomed to realism, though, and my attempt was futile. My mind cannot wander, as there is nothing currently filling my mind that is worth writing about. Either that or I have already written something about it and wish that I would stop thinking of it.

Several minutes pass by in the blink of an eye, and the bell rings for the transition period. My class is on the third floor, so I immediately leap up from the seat and walk hastily to the nearest staircase. The crowd prevents me from walking as fast as I would like, but I believe I can still get there in time.

I finally get to the staircase and the crowd around me starts to dissipate. Once the toons that have class on the second floor get out of the way, the flow of traffic starts to speed up. Everyone starts to move much quicker once they get to the very top of the incline, after which they get moving to class. Luckily for me, my class is the first class on the right side of the hall, so I do not have to walk very far.

The teacher reluctantly greets me as I walk into her classroom and take the seat closest to her desk. It's my assigned seat for every class. I would wish for the opposite seating arrangement. However, I know well why I am placed here and do not object. I will not get my way.

As the classroom starts to fill with students, all I can do is watch the second hand tick down as the bell gets closer to ringing. Hell is about to begin and I am the farthest thing from ready for it.


	4. Chapter 2B

I can't… drown out… the noise… There's not even a whole lot of it and it's still impossible to truly relax. Hell, I'm staring at one of the most bland creations to ever bless toonkind: the ceiling of a school bus. This is really what life is going to be like for the next hour. Can't wait…

Only serving to contribute to my inability to stay still, the bus keeps rattling along for a few more seconds after turning on the main road. It stops at a house very shortly afterwards. Curiosity overcame me. I sit up and look out of the window. The figure I saw may be vaguely familiar, but I cannot get a clear image of the toon. Until he takes his last steps onto the bus and his face is revealed to me.

Loopy Snorkelsnout.

As soon as I see him, I instinctively hide my face and lie back down in the seat. It's obvious that he takes the seat in the front, though, since the bus very quickly starts moving and bumping up the road again. This doesn't make me any less angry, though.

There isn't a thing about this coral cat that doesn't anger me. His face, his eyes, his stance, his attitude… Everything about him makes my blood boil with such a fury that I'm surprised the water in my body doesn't evaporate away whenever I see him. I very rarely say I hate anyone, but this boy has all of my pure-spirited hatred.

This school really has it all: horny juniors and seniors that won't take no for an answer, liars and cheats that never feel satisfied with their dates, and so-called "tough guys" that wouldn't even hesitate to get into a fight with a faculty member if they wanted. To their credit, though, they don't consistently think about causing harm to others. That's about the only leverage I can give, but it's better than nothing.

Loopy, however, is a mixture of all three of these things. He'll cheat on any girl he ends up dating, and he'll fight anyone that gets in his way, including the staff. In addition, he is always in the mindset to hurt others. All of this leads me to the simple conclusion that he is, by far, the worst boy that currently goes to the school.

Honestly, I didn't always think he was so bad. Before I heard about what he did, I saw him as just another toon that went to the school. He didn't really stand out in any way. There wasn't any real reason to hate him, but I also didn't see a reason to talk to him. He was just… there…

That opinion was quickly challenged when it was brought to light what he had done to his girlfriend, Marigold, over summer break. On the first day of the new school year, she came to school limping, bloodied, and barely able to stand. She had several lacerations all over her face, arms, and legs. It was obvious to everyone who saw her that day that she was in severe pain. Her group of friends had to walk her to all of her classes and help her sit down. All thanks to Loopy. After that, the entire school started a vendetta against him, which I was fully behind.

Two and a half years later, nothing has changed. He still appears to be the same manipulative, womanizing bastard he always was, and he has made no effort to change his image.

Regardless, that makes two toons who the entire school just does not want to bother with: Loopy and myself. Apparently I'm just as scary as he is, which I think is completely stupid, but whatever. It allows me to be aware from everyone else, which is a win in my book. I have absolutely zero complaints about it. If things were to stay this way, I think I'd be able to survive.

I close my eyes to try to get my mind off of him. It works. Instead of thinking about Loopy and how horrible of a toon he is, my brain wanders off to the past. Memories come flooding back to me: my old school, my old neighborhood, my old house. I feel my eyes start to water as my parents and my old "friends" come to view and fill my vision. To think, after all this time, I'm still no more comfortable, content, or motivated than I was back then. I'm not any more of those things either; there's no way I could be. Tolerance is the only thing that's changed for me since I moved to this area.

The bus seems to feel like it's slowing down, so I open my eyes again. Much to my dismay, we've already arrived at the school. I bring my hands up to dry my eyes and confirm my suspicions. Everything is far too familiar: the towering brick building, the large, black, metal gate, and the toons… Oh god, the toons…

School has always been funny to me, but not because of the actual material. I never really cared for it because it was always very bland and boring to me. It's more for the fact that I'm expected to learn it while inside the building. In theory, this could work, but not with these teachers and this environment. With how the system is right now, more of my actual learning is coming from outside. Instead of the teachers doing their jobs, I have to resort to online resources to figure out what the hell is going on. It's been that way for me since around the 5th grade. Some exceptions to this rule exist, but they are very few and far between.

The bus finally comes to a stop. Reluctantly, I start to stand, but I see nobody else doing the same. That's when I looked toward the front of the bus. The devilish coral cat stands up and walks down the stairs and off the bus. Everyone on the bus, myself included, is giving him an intense glare as he walks away from the bus. We only release said glare when he walks through the steel arch.

The rest of the bus now starts to stand, but I am advised to remain seated until the entire rest of the bus is cleared. I almost become remarkably vocal about my disagreement, but I just hold my tongue as everyone continued talking, polluting the bus with their obnoxious noise.

After a minute or so, the last toon was finally off the bus. Took long enough. I make sure I have everything I need and start walking off the bus. Luckily, there's not much of a crowd on this side of the arch. This bus arrives quite a bit later than the rest of the buses, which I suppose isn't all too bad. Once I make my way to the steel gate, the bus drives away, and I'm left to look at the long dirt walkway again.

 _Let's get this over with,_ I think to myself as the breeze lightly blows in my face. I walk through the gate and toward the front entrance. It's a pretty long walk compared to a lot of schools, but it could be worse.

Of course, just like any high school, there's couples leaning up against the walls sweet talking each other. Some are just talking, others are also leaned up against each other, hugging and kissing each other. Likely just wrapping up conversations, but high school is unpredictable. I just keep my gaze down to avoid looking at everyone and attempt to drown out the noise.

Relatively soon, I'm stepping up the small set of stairs that leads to the front door. I put my hand on the door handle and take a deep breath. First day of the semester. It's all downhill from here.

I push my hand down and walk inside the building. Surprisingly, it feels colder in here than it does outside. Maybe the heat just hasn't gotten to this part of the building yet. Nevertheless, I end up shivering as I look up at the clock. I don't quite care enough to get an exact time, but it's pretty close to 7:40. I've got about ten minutes to try to clear my mind before hell truly begins. Contrary to what I normally do in the mornings, I decide to turn right and head to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Immediately, my presence is felt by everyone in the room. The nearest table is completely cleared out as quickly as possible while I walk to grab a waffle, which is one of the few food items I trust from the school. Since there's already syrup on it, I just walk back to the now empty table and sat down.

Now I'm paranoid. I glance around the room and see if I can see Loopy at all. He's pretty easy to spot, seeing as he's the only toon in the entire school with coral fur. At least, the only tall one. A few mice happen to have coral fur, but they aren't particularly noteworthy for anything. Not a problem, but not really anything special, either. I know it sounds awful to say it that way, but that's the shortest way to say it that's honest to how I feel.

Once I confirm that Loopy is not in the cafeteria, I start eating my food and ignore the constant auditory assault. Since there isn't a whole lot of time before the bell, I finish up quickly. I stand up and start bringing the tray to the stack where the rest of them are. A few toons are whispering about me to their group of friends but I just ignore them. I don't really know what they're saying, after all.

As soon as I try to sit back down, the bell rings. Of course. I grab my things and start to walk toward the staircase. There's two of them, and I'm closer to the one that doesn't take me to my class. Lovely.

I walk through the massive herd of people crowding the entrance to the front office and get to the stairs, where several toons are already pushing each other up. Instead of trying to join this madness, I decide to just let everyone else go in front of me and wait until it's comfortable to start walking up.

This takes much longer than I would have liked, but it's fine, I guess. The walk up is still far from relaxing, but it's still a far cry better from being pushed, shoved, and crushed under the weight of a bunch of other toons. As if that's hard to do.

When I finally get to the third floor, I enter the first door on the right, which is where my class is. Most of the faces I see are familiar, but there's a few that are new. This school has the stupid idea of shifting some toons' classes at the start of the semester, and it's completely random. At least it doesn't affect everyone's progress. That's about the only good thing about it, though. Every class teaching the same subject does have to be at the same point in the curriculum at the end of each semester, after all. It's still a surprise this hasn't gotten changed, though. Next to nobody has anything good to say about it.

I took my seat in the very back corner, farthest from the teacher's desk. The board is completely blank, which is characteristic of the start of the semester. The teacher is at her desk, making sure all of her lesson plans and packets are in order.

However, one thing in particular catches my eye, and it seems like it caught everyone else's attention, as well. There's a particularly recognizable figure sitting in the opposite corner to me: a tall, coral cat who seems to be lost in his own little world.

The day hasn't even started and I already no that there's no way it could get any worse. Somebody please kill me…


End file.
